a romantic story
by hitokiri-tokiya
Summary: Just some mushy tale featuring Tokiya and Fuuko-sama. x hehe
1. a romance novel

(Okay, I started writing this story over a year ago, and stopped. Because I have absolutely no idea where the story is supposed to go. But I don't like leaving unfinished work around, so I decided to try and see this thing to the end. If things seem to go forward as if without a sense of direction, please forgive me, and also any 'OOCness' you may encounter.

Thanks and please enjoy. Jaa na! x )

****

**a romantic story**

**1. a romance novel**

She looked, almost in shock, at his name written on the book card.

_Mikagami Tokiya_.

She could not believe it at first. She had rechecked the title on the book cover thinking, "Maybe I'd grabbed the wrong one..." But no, 'Confessions of Love' by Mikito Shinichirou, the sappiest, mushiest, funniest romance novel she had ever read, and she had absolutely loved it. _It's a romance novel! So what the hell is Ice-boy's name doing here!?!_

She would've laughed at the idea, but she had just been in too much shock. "Excuse me, miss. Are you going to borrow that?" the librarian spoke up, interrupting her thoughts. She was smiling at her radiantly. "Hai!" she answered back, and wrote her own name on the book card, then handed it back together with her library card.

There was a small, mischievous smile on her lips as she left the library.

_I really have to ask him about this next time I see him..._

That afternoon she was lying in wait for him. The first thing she greeted him with was, "I didn't know you like romance novels."

"Huh?" She could not read whether he was trying to avoid her unspoken question or not, but what he was trying to convey with that monosyllabic grunt was clear enough: what the hell are you talking about?

"Hihihi..." she laughs a little devilishly. "I've been to the library, and I see you've taken out Confessions of Love. So... how was it?"

He smirks as he answers, "It was the most idiotic piece of literature I have ever come across."

"WHAT???" Kirisawa was offended, for she had of course, loved the romance story. "Then why did you read it in the first place???"

"I was making a report about contemporary literature covering all genres." He answers coolly.

"-'Sigh'- And I actually thought you were showing some semblance of humanity... Should have known your heart is made of ice!"

He smirked again, and walked away.

"Oi, chotto matte ne! I'm going home now too, so might as well walk with you..."

He was not surprised at this. Even though he remained cool and distant, Hokage still seems to consider him a friend, and treated him accordingly. That is, he was always subject to childish pranks and name- calling and much teasing, mostly coming from the purple-haired monkey beside him now. It was indescribably annoying and aggravating of course, but... the feeling of having friends was just too... new to him, that he was curious enough about it not to put a stop to them. And there was Yanagi... For her, he would tolerate all of the craziness of Hokage, just to be around her.

And so he let Fuuko tag along. It was not the first time they had walked together; it turns out their houses lay in the same direction, so when it happens that they're going home at the same time, they walked together.

A girl that was seen walking with him would certainly find herself the object of hatred of every other girl in school soon afterwards. But, it seems, not Fuuko. Everyone seemed to know about her. Evidently, they all believed that she "posed no threat". After all, "what can Tokiya-sama possibly find attractive in a loud-mouthed, violent, un-sexy tomboy?" It seems that Kirisawa Fuuko is the only girl 'allowed' to walk with him.

He found this situation extremely amusing.

He had to endure Fuuko's almost non-stop chatter until they parted of course, but... this he would not admit even to himself, it was good to have a friend walking with you and talking with such... enthusiasm. Even though she was annoying most times, some times he had almost smiled.

But today, she was quiet. He would have been relieved, but one glance at her showed that she was a bit upset.

It's about the book... She must have really liked it. Maybe I was a bit harsh about the way I spoke of it...

He was surprised to find he was actually concerned. Maybe I am starting to think of them as friends too, he thought. He was glad he actually felt that way. Because he knew that was how his Onee-chan would have wanted him to feel.

He had changed. In ways he really hadn't noticed at all.

So he said, "Stop thinking about it. The book really has no intellectual value after all."

And then there was an ear shattering "BAKA!!!" shouted right into his ear, and Kirisawa was walking furiously fast away from him.

It seems he had upset her more without intending it.

That was not his problem then.

He continued to walk, now keeping a prudent distance from Kirisawa.

Guess he hasn't changed much after all.


	2. a sudden fall

**2. a sudden fall**

_Argh! That Mikagami! Sometimes he can really annoy me so much!!!_

She continued to stomp off away from him, but she almost stopped in mid-stride as a thought struck her.

_ '...Sometimes he can really annoy me so much!!!'_

Those exact same lines appeared in the book. They were actually, the exact same thoughts 'Aira' had about 'Ryu' before she got to know him... before they got close... and in the end they...

Ha-ha! She laughed it off. Now she was the one who was being a baka. Like her and Mikagami would ever...

And that was when she tripped on something and fell hard on her face.  
  
"Ow-oww!"

"Don't move so much."

"But it hurts!" an embarrassed Fuuko complains to Tokiya as he carefully places a band-aid across her nose, which of course took most of the impact when she fell face first.

"I've never seen a monkey fall facedown like that before." Mikagami says with a smirk.

"Who are you calling a monkey!!! YOU!!!"

She was about to deliver a swift punch when someone spoke up, "Oh, what a cute couple!"

That froze them both right where they were. It was then that Fuuko noticed how close she and Mikagami were. He had to come up that close in order to put the band-aid on her nose, and the way they were face to face, it did look kinda like... they were... about to... kiss..?

Her face turned so red at the thought but... she did not move away from him.

"Aw, you shouldn't have said anything!" another passerby spoke up, "Those two need their privacy! Can't you see that?"

"Oh! I'm sorry!"

Fuuko's face turned even redder but before she could speak up, Mikagami did so first. Turning quickly to face the speakers, he says "No! No, you're mistaken. We're just... friends..." He was surprised to see that about half a dozen people had gathered already, looking at him and Kirisawa. And then he discovered something about himself then – placed in such a situation, he had absolutely no idea what to do!

"'Just friends', eh" another spoke up. "How many times have we heard that before..? Hehe..."

"Yeah! Look at how much his girlfriend's blushing!"

"Aww... they look so good together! Can I take a picture?"

Mikagami kept expecting Kirisawa to blow up at any second, yelling at all these people to just mind their own business and get away from there. But she didn't. Turning to look at her, he saw that she was, indeed, blushing.

Interesting... He thought. She's acting completely unlike herself...

"Okay, okay! That's enough! Let's just leave these two lovebirds alone, shall we..?"

"Yeah, yeah..."

"Yes, yes. They cannot possibly act the way they want to with so many people looking at them like this..."

Click! "Yes! I got a picture! All right!"

As the people dispersed, Mikagami breathed a sigh of relief. 'Wait! Did somebody... just take a picture?!?' And then he saw that Kirisawa was still blushing.

"That was... a bit... embarrassing, wasn't it?" he speaks to her.

"Yeah..." she says, lowering her head. "That is definitely the MOST embarrassing thing that has ever happened to me..." 'Well, not really...' she thinks to herself. 'It was actually... kind of funny...' She smiled, careful not to let Mikagami see it. She was a bit surprised when suddenly, Mikagami started to laugh...

She quickly looks up. "Hey! Why... are you laughing?"

"I'm not sure... I just... found it all... amusing... in some way..." and then he laughed some more. She smiled again at first, then started to giggle, and finally to laugh herself. That was when she realized... she liked it when all those people thought they were a couple. A cute couple at that...

"Hey... this is the first time I've heard you laugh." She tells him.

"...I guess it's because it's the first time I've ever been in a situation I found so amusing. I just can't believe people would act that way just because they saw a girl and a boy together."

"Yeah." She giggles. "This afternoon certainly has been... interesting."

And then they were laughing together again.


	3. a lot of thinking

(Hm, i guess the biggest complaint so far is the OOCnes of the characters, so i guess i'm hoping to try and explain off their behaviour in the next chapters... But whether i succeed or not i hope you guys keep on reading! :)

jaa na!)

**3. a lot of thinking  
**

Midnight.

The moonlight glittered on the ice blade as he swung it around, performing a series of moves that seemed almost a dance. Each strike was perfect, evidence of his unequalled skill with the Ensui. The speed and precision spoke of many long hours of hard training.

Quickly turning, stepping forward and backward, and crouching, ready for an upward strike. Swinging the sword in an arc, or slashing down, or pulling it back to move forward with a sudden thrust. Pivoting on one foot to deliver a spinning blow. Each movement flowing freely into the next, the same way water would move as it flowed through a river.

And when he finished, he stood in the middle of the garden and looked up at half moon and the twinkling stars. He had been performing all these movements since he had reached home late that afternoon, not even stopping for some nourishment.

Is something bothering him about what had transpired that day..? Or is it something else..?

She turned and waved at him before she went into her house. As far as he knew, she was an only child. He had heard stories that her mother was a professional wrestler, but he never believed it. He had never asked directly, but from conversations he gathered that her mother was an ordinary housewife and her father was probably a clerk for a medium-sized company. Well, you can't really call them conversations... since she did almost all of the talking...

Anyway, even though she acted like a tomboy, she knew perfectly well that she was a girl. A girl who could beat up any boy who messed with her! And she was proud of that. She was loud-mouthed and a bit violent, but she also had a sensitive side. And she was strong, and would refuse to rely on anybody but herself. She also had a good head – that is, she is the smartest on the Hokage team. She thinks when she fights, and that is a large part of her strength in battle. She also has a lot of guts, and will never back down from anybody.

_Come to think of it, there are a lot of things to admire in Kirisawa...._

Thinking back, he tried to remember how they first met... They were... never actually introduced formally. When he became part of the Hokage, she just... started treating him accordingly. Nobody before had ever approached him so directly and talked to him so candidly. And she did it all so naturally that it never bothered him at all. And she was the only girl to ever hug him other than his sister...

Always cheerful, noisy, and unafraid, that was how Kirisawa.... iya, Fuuko seemed to him. Now they were actually calling each other by their first names...

Recca. Domon. Kaoru. Ganko. Yanagi. Fuuko. The Hokage. And he is part of them now. They are his friends. It... really has been a long time since he has had any, but slowly he is learning how to interact with other people again. And besides, everyone seems to accept him exactly as he is, no pretensions or falseness. It was actually Fuuko who had made him feel that. The way she acted with him, he never noticed how easily she had made him feel like he was a part of the team. The people who saw them together thought she was his girlfriend... He wondered why so? What did all those people see between them anyway? Well... they were sitting pretty close, face-to-face beneath the tree... And he had been leaning forward putting the band-aid on her nose... Did it actually seem like he was... about to kiss her?! Those people might have thought so... And one of them actually took a picture!

That made him feel like laughing again... it really was all very amusing. But Fuuko did admit she was embarrassed by it all. She was even all red in the face. He had never seen her blush so much before. She laughed it off in the end, and her laugh sounded more like her.

And then he realizes why he is thinking a lot about that afternoon. It is because he felt something then that he had only felt a long time ago, when his sister had still been with him. Fuuko had made him feel... at ease, comfortable. Like, everything was all right because... she was there. Only Mifuyu had been able to make him feel like that, and it was unbelievable that Fuuko should be the one to awaken those feelings again. But that is proof then – that he likes Kirisawa Fuuko. He likes being around her, and he likes how she makes him feel. He likes her attitude, her cheery demeanor, her fiery temper, and even her oft times silliness.

It is the first time he has ever admitted to liking anybody, and he smiles at the thought. He wonders how she would react if he tells her all these. He didn't know. Which made him think that, maybe he should try and get to know her a bit more. Trying to get to know a person is something he really hasn't done before. But he thought it would be good for him to try. After all, you can only really be good friends with someone if you know that person pretty well...

It was really not like him to think of things so much. Now that his thoughts were clear on these matters, he felt better. He actually found himself looking forward to seeing Fuuko the next day. Before he turned away he sees a falling star flash across the sky. He knows you're supposed to make a wish when you see one, and he was a bit surprised to find that the first thing that came into his mind was... just her name. _Fuuko_. Before, he thought of nothing.

He goes back into the house and cleans up, and changes into his sleeping clothes. He lies down on his bed and was soon sleepy.

His last thought before drifting off was _'It's amazing how many guys don't notice how beautiful Fuuko looks just because she acts like such a tomboy...'_


	4. a lot of thinking too

**4. a lot of thinking too**

She tossed and turned on her bed, trying every position she could think of but she still could not sleep. Then she would sit up in bed, close her eyes and act as if meditating, and then she'd fall back hoping sleepiness would soon overcome her. But moments later she'd turn on one side and then the other and find that she was not in the least bit sleepy.

Finally, she had to admit it. The reason she could not sleep was she was thinking a lot about _Mikagami Tokiya_ and what happened that afternoon.

_Didn't 'Aira' also have a sleepless night thinking a lot about 'Ryu'?_

It was a pretty ordinary day, nothing special or unusual had happened. Until, she checked out _'Confessions of Love'_ and found his name there. It was unbelievable that _Tokiya_ read romance novels, and she had been really taken with the thought. But it turned out she thought wrong, and his comment about the book kinda pissed her off, and then a stupid thought entered her head and so she tripped and fell down.

That was when _Tokiya_ started to act... all nice to her. He helped her up, bought her some band-aids, and put one gently on her nose... And then those people gathered around them thinking they were... l-lovers...

That was what she kept thinking about. She had _liked_ it when all those people thought they were... _lovers_...

She had never really thought about boys. The only boy she ever thought about was Recca, and all the ways she could possibly beat him up. It was really not like her to think of a boy this way at all...

When she first met _Tokiya_ she thought he was extremely arrogant and cocky and very, very cold. But... maybe that was all a front. When she learned about how his sister was killed, she started to think differently of him. Growing up alone, thinking only about vengeance, learning how to kill all his life, was probably what made him be like what he is. So she thought maybe if she was friendly with him, if she were to treat him like any normal guy, maybe he'll... change. No, more like, maybe he'll show what he's really like. After all, someone who loved his sister as much as he did is probably still a nice, caring person inside.

And that afternoon showed things were starting to turn out as she had thought. _Mikagami Tokiya_ actually acted nice to her. Sure, he still called her a monkey but she called him names too. Like Icicle-brain and Ice-boy and other cute names like that. But if you think about it, there was no way people could call each other names like that and still remain in good terms with each other if they weren't such good friends, right?

She was also starting to see why all those girls back in school are just crazy about _Tokiya_. 'He is smart, cool, strong, and the pain he hides gives him just a touch of mystery. All blended together with his good looks, it's almost an irresistible mix...' That's what they say, and though it sounds so melodramatic, she knows it's mostly true.._._

She wonders how would he react if she told him all these, and laughs a little.

_No, you're supposed to wait for the guy to speak up first! That was what 'Aira' thought in the book..._

Well, she was not 'Aira', and she was definitely not going to just tell _Tokiya_ her most private thoughts. She wonders if maybe... Yanagi. A girl-to-girl talk with her should help...

A lot of people may think she's a tomboy, but Yanagi knows better. She and little Ganko-chan are the only ones who know about... well, not her secret. More like, her hidden side... A great big huggable teddy bear named 'Kichii', her pink pajamas, cutesy designs on her bed cover and pillow cases, colorful floral patterns on her wallpaper, a full-length mirror, a small vanity table, well-hidden, well-kept kimonos in her cabinet – yup, a lot of people would never believe this is her room. Including the Hokage team. But she was glad enough to have Yanagi to share all these with.

She certainly can't call her up now since it was past midnight. Knowing she won't be sleeping for a while, she gets out of bed and sits beside her window, looking out at the half moon and the twinkling stars. She thinks about how _Tokiya_ looks at Yanagi, about the warmth that would come into his eyes when he sees her. She remembers thinking how different his eyes look at those times. And then she remembers that afternoon as he had _looked_ at _her_...

_His eyes were different too..._

They were similar to the warm looks he gave Yanagi, but different in some way...

_Maybe... he likes me._

She smiles at that, and feels her cheeks grow warm. _That's a nice thought..._

And that was when she sees a falling star flash across the sky. She has never really wished for anything before but right then, a thought came immediately into her mind. Just a name... _Tokiya._

Tomorrow, she decides to tell Yanagi everything - about the things that happened that afternoon, about her thoughts and emotions, about this sleepless night. Everything about what she was starting to think of as the 'band-aid incident'...

She smiles to herself as she touches her nose. The band-aid was still there.

She goes back to bed about half an hour later. _I'll see him in the morning then..._

Soon, she was sound asleep.


	5. a magazine contest

**5. a magazine contest**

_Look Out!_ is one of the best magazines in the country. A bi-monthly magazine that features everything from the beauty you can find in the countryside to the latest fads and crazes hitting the cities. It has become such a hit that people would line up outside the bookstores early in the morning before opening time when the company releases an issue to get a copy.

The current month's issue has just been released and probably, everyone is turning to the same page. A sensational contest held by the magazine is the biggest feature of this issue. It has swept the entire country like a storm and thousands of entries have already been received since it was initiated four months ago. All the entries that have made the cut will be presented, and everyone excitedly scrutinizes each and every one of them.

The contest is said to be the biggest craze that has hit the country in years. Just about everyone is eagerly awaiting the results.

_Kirisawa_ was running fast to make it in time to school so she hardly noticed the looks the other students gave her. She was not usually this late when coming to school but she had overslept today. But when she entered her classroom she clearly saw everyone looking at her with expressions ranging from amusement to envy to wonder. As she sat down snatches of whispered conversations reached her sharp ears.

_"I thought she was a tomboy..."_

_"What's her name again...?"_

_"It's impossible..."_

_"She hangs out with that ninja-wannabee..."_

_"Isn't she the one who beat up those guys..."_

_What the... _she thought as she heard them. _Are they all... talking... about... me???_ She continued listening for a bit more, and as her suspicions grew and grew, the more annoyed she became. Everybody was talking about something but nobody was saying anything! It clearly involved her, judging from the way they constantly looked at her.

_"She can't be..."_

_"No way! What could she possibly..."_

_"But she's got such ugly hair!..."_

That was the last straw. Slowly she stood up, teeth gritting against each other, then suddenly her eyes go ablaze as she shouts out with a raised fist, "WHAT THE HELL ARE ALL OF YOU TALKING ABOUT!?! STUPID NONSENSE! IF ANYONE WANTS TO SAY SOMETHING TO ME THEN SAY IT TO MY FACE!!!"

"_Ahem..."_

_Kirisawa_ froze at the sound. It seemed that the professor chose that time to enter the classroom and thanks to his perfect timing he heard everything she had to say. A not-really-happy smile slowly spread across _Kirisawa's_ face.

"Well, I have something to say to you, _Kirisawa-san_." The teacher's face was all doom. _"Go stand outside in the hallway."_

A chorus of laughter followed her as she stepped outside, which made her kinda glad to get out of there. The sound was quickly silenced by one look from the professor, and the class started for the day.

_Argh... What's wrong with me today?_ she thought as she stood outside. _I don't normally blow up like that... Well, at least not in front of the entire class..._ She had planned to look for Yanagi during break time, which would be in a few hours, and talk to her then. As she waited for the time to come she thought about how nosy and stupid her classmates were. _What could they be wondering about me this time? I remember when they used to talk about me because they thought I was a weird, violent girl. Good thing that stopped or somebody would have had their face bashed in... What is it this time?!? Grrrr..._

And later, during break time it was Yanagi who found her. She seemed happy about something, and she had been looking for _Kirisawa_ too. She was carrying a magazine, which was what she wanted to show her.

"_Look Out! ?"_

"Yes. It's a really great magazine. And... why don't you open it to page 33..?"

"Okay..." _Kirisawa_ turned the pages. "Thirty-three... here. Hm? A 'Cutest Couples Contest'?"

"Yes. It was started about a few months ago. I read about it then and thought it really was a 'cute' idea. It's a photo contest." Yanagi explained. "You're supposed to send in a picture of a couple, a boy and a girl together. But they must be a real couple, that is they're in a relationship – boyfriend and girlfriend, husband and wife. And the picture must not be posed. The photographer must capture them in a real moment, a natural setting. I think it's great."

"Yeah!" _Kirisawa_ agreed. "And... I think I know why you're showing me this... You and..."

"_Princess!_" a voice called out.

"Recca!" Yanagi answered. Hanabishi Recca walked toward them.

"It was dad's idea." Recca explained when he had approached. "He read about the contest and said we should join. He made us spend a lot of time together, while he looked for the 'perfect shot'. Actually, it was fun, having to spend all that time with my princess."

"Hey! And he did take a good picture. Here it is... it made the top 150! And it's out of the _7876_ entries that were received!" _Kirisawa_ exclaimed_. "WOW!!! You guys are in a magazine!!! This is so cool!"_


	6. a picture of a couple

**6. a picture of a couple**

Recca and Yanagi crouched on the grass, Yanagi looking at a flower just blooming with a beautiful child-like smile and wonder, as Recca looks at her with such fondness in his eyes it was so sweet. That was the picture they had sent to the magazine. They had entitled it 'A flower smiles'.

They were in the park when it was taken. The four of them – Yanagi, Miss Kagerou, Recca and his dad – were having a picnic. After eating, the young couple had taken a walk, Mr. Hanabishi following closely with his camera. It was of course hard to 'act natural' as he told them to with him following them around like that, but he got his shot. Yanagi is just such a soft-hearted girl, and when she saw that flower and looked so delighted to see it, Recca found it was so easy to forget that there was anything else in the world but her.

It really is a good picture, and it probably has a very good chance at winning too.

_Fuuko_, Recca and Yanagi stood in the hallway as they talked about the picture that had made it into the 'Cutest Couples Contest'. And glancing around, _Kirisawa_ saw the other students were holding the _Look Out!_ magazine.

"Hey, look. All of these guys have probably seen your picture and Yanagi's by now! Hihihi... Guess you guys are about to become the most famous couple in school!"

"_Fuuko_-_chan_!"

"Haha! Oi, don't embarrass my princess like that!"

"Oops... Sorry Yanagi!" says _Fuuko_, but Yanagi was actually smiling at her, showing she didn't really mind her little teasing. They were all excited at the picture appearing in a magazine, and they were all really happy about it. _Fuuko_ gives Yanagi a little hug for it.

And then a familiar voice shouts out...

"_FUUKO-SAMA!!!_"

The voice reverberated throughout the entire corridor. _Kirisawa_ almost winced.

"_FUUKO-SAMA!!! MY FUUKO-SAMA!!!"_

As the owner of the voice drew nearer, she clenches her fists. And through gritted teeth she speaks quite clearly. "How many times do I have to tell you... _DON'T... EVER... CALL ME... THAT AGAIN!!!_" She quickly turns and delivers a superb uppercut that sends the shouter up to the ceiling, hitting the top of his head there hard enough to make a hole before falling back down again.

"Hi, Domon." Recca says. "You really should listen to her, you know."

"D-Domon-kun..." Yanagi says with a touch of concern. "Are you all right...?"

But Ishijima Domon was quickly back up again, and on one knee in front of an exasperated _Fuuko_ he was asking, "Is it true, _Fuuko-sama?_ Are the things they are saying true? Is it? Is it?"

"What are you talking about Domon? And get up already, will you?"

"Tell me it isn't true!" Domon implores of her as he tries to close in and embrace her around the waist. But _Fuuko_ plants a foot in his face to keep him off.

"I said I don't know what you're talking about. Now, knock it off already!"

"So you deny everything? You're saying they're all lies, all those things they're saying? I'm so glad..."

"Huh? What are they saying?"

Domon then noticed what Yanagi was holding. "That magazine..."

"Oh yeah, have you seen what's inside?" _Fuuko_ asks him.

"No..."

Yanagi hands him the magazine. "Open it to page thirty-three, and look at the bottom left."

They were all smiling as Domon flipped through the pages.

"There! See it?" _Fuuko_ points out to him.

On page thirty-three, bottom left was picture entry number 12. "Hey! It's you guys!" Domon exclaims with, it sounded like, relief. As Recca tells Domon about the contest and their picture, _Kirisawa_ sights a familiar figure and calls out to him.

"_OI, TOKIYA! OVER HERE!_"

_Mikagami_ heard her and approached them. "Yanagi-san." He greets the girl first, which was his usual way. And then, to their surprise, he actually speaks to the rest of them! "Hey, everyone. What are you still hanging around here for? Shouldn't we get to the canteen before the break ends?"

Yanagi smiles, perhaps the only one noticing a change in Mikagami, though on the outside it seems he is the same. It was _Kirisawa_ who answers him. "Yeah, he's right. Let's go! And we'll tell you about the 'cutest couple' here in school along the way! Hihi..."

They start walking, Domon in front still holding the magazine. Yanagi had just started telling _Mikagami_ about the contest being run by the magazine when Ishijima stopped in his tracks.

"Page thirty-five, picture entry number 28..." he says sounding almost mechanical.

"Huh?" Curious, they all move forward to look. And they all stopped in their tracks.


	7. a misapprehension disregrded

**7. a misapprehension disregarded**

_Kirisawa_ looked at _Mikagami_ after seeing the picture. She saw there was an amused smile on his lips, and she could see he was struggling to hold back laughter.

She knew exactly what he felt, and what he was thinking too. They both knew exactly where the sakura tree beneath which this picture was taken, and the time yesterday when it was taken, and now, they also know the reason why. And as she remembers the events of that interesting afternoon her own grin grows wider. Soon she was laughing, and _Mikagami_ looks at her smiling. When their eyes meet they grin at each other and then they were laughing together.

Their friends look on in disbelief, not understanding anything. Yet.

They were all very eager to find out more about the picture entry number 28 on page thirty-five entitled 'When new lovers meet'.

Except perhaps Ishijima...

A tremendous bawl escapes Domon and he yells out. "NOOOOO!!!! SO WHAT THEY'RE SAYING IS TRUE AFTER ALL!!! MY FUUKO-SAMA AND THAT SILVER-HAIRED GUY HAVE BECOME A COUPLE AND THEY'VE JOINED THE 'CUTEST COUPLES CONTEST'!!! WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!"

"WHAT!?!" _Kirisawa_ says not really feeling very surprised, but feeling some warmth creep into her cheeks. Now the people in school also think she and _Tokiya_ are a couple??? _So that's what everyone in my class was talking about..._ she thinks, understanding everything.

_Mikagami_ just smirks. "Oi, _Fuuko_ and I are not a couple. And I think we should try to contact the photographer listed as the one who entered the picture and explain the same, ask them to withdraw the picture before it's disqualified by the magazine when found out."

Ishijima stares at him, and after gathering his thoughts he replies back, "But... the picture... in here... And you were laughing together just now! You've never laughed together before! If you're not a couple, then what's _Fuuko_ to you!?!"

_Mikagami_ looks at him, and placing his hand lightly on _Kirisawa's_ shoulder, he answers him coolly. "_Fuuko_ is my friend. Just like all of you are my friends."

He smiles at them and walks on, and the others follow him after a bit of a pause. Recca and Yanagi were behind. "Ne, princess." Recca says to Yanagi, his hands laced behind his head in his characteristic way, "There's something... different about _Tokiya_ today."

"I know." Yanagi tells him.

As they continue _Fuuko_ catches up to _Tokiya_ and places an arm on his shoulder. They start to talk as they walked together. And if you did not know them, and you noticed them, then you most likely would have mistakenly thought to yourself, '_What a cute couple...!'_.


End file.
